716 Field Sports in Minnesota. 



that purpose, and we had a bed fit for a king, and one on which no 

 tired hunter can long remain awake. 



A coach candle in an improvised socket, fastened to the inside of 

 the tent-pole, sufficiently illuminated the interior, and enabled us to 

 get in readiness for the morning's work. "Chicken shells" were 

 taken out, and suitable ones for duck-shooting substituted ; no one 

 forgetting to place a few loaded with " dbl. B" shot in a certain 

 pocket of the Holabird shooting-coat ; these last for a stray goose 

 or two which has been known to fly over this pass more than once, 

 in the memory of our mess. 



Such an inviting bed as we had before us could not long remain 

 untried, and one by one our party turned in. The full moon flooded 

 our tent with a subdued light and brightly illuminated our surround- 

 ings. Through the tent-openings could be seen one arm of Little 

 Kandiyohi and the two peninsulas, joined by a rickety bridge of 

 hewn timber, which formed this well-known pass, and over which 

 we are to have a "flight" in the morning twilight. 



I am quite certain that I have not been unconscious for more 

 than fifteen minutes, when I am rudely awakened by a severe thump 

 in the side, which I am half inclined to return with interest, until I 

 see that my friends are up and dressed. The candle is burning, 

 and a bright fire roars and crackles in the stove, diffusing an agree- 

 able warmth throughout the tent. 



All of us are decidedly sleepy, and we should perhaps be still in 

 bed, were our inclinations strictly followed, and we show less impa- 

 tience to face the keen morning air than do our dogs, whom Bill has 

 set free on his way to feed the team. The moon has long since dis- 

 appeared, and inky darkness has succeeded, and we feel our way 

 along as we go down to our stands upon the peninsula. The air, 

 for a September morning, is quite chilly, and in spite of the cup of 

 hot coffee and plenty of wrappings, I am soon all of a tremble, and 

 cannot help contrasting this with the warm and cozy bed out of 

 which we had lately crept. I feel much pity for my two faithful 

 dogs, who are lying crouched at my feet, impatient for the word to 

 plunge into the dark and chilly current for a duck. Some are 

 already passing over, as we know by the sound of wings swiftly 

 cutting the air. By rubbing the phosphorus of a match, the dial of 

 my watch is rendered visible, and it is some satisfaction to know that 



